Samsung Releases Galaxy Tab 3 Date, Pricing

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This week, the Korean company brought the Galaxy Tab 3 series with Android, available in 7-, 8- and 10.1-inch versions, to the United States, an attempt to gain more footing in the tablet market and a fitting addition to the stampede of innovation Samsung has unleashed over the last several months.

Richard Hutton, director of channel marketing at Samsung, said the vision for the tablet series extends far beyond the device itself. He said in the enterprise market, it is the services, integration and management of the tablets that elevate the device to a higher level of value, adding that it is through the channel that Samsung devices are able to reach that elevated level.

"All of our B2B business goes through channel partners, with the exception of a few hotels, and we don't see a reason to change that course. They add value and provide a more satisfying experience for the end client," Hutton said.

The education and healthcare industries have been early adopters of tablet technology, according to Hutton. He said the 10.1-inch tablet was intended to appeal more to teachers and schools, while the smaller tablets were geared toward those in the medical field.

"In a tablet world, it boils down to what meets a person's need in work and what matches a person's physiology. That's what the market should have: options," said Bob Nitrio, CEO of Ranvest Associates, an Orangevale, Calif.-based solution provider and Samsung reseller.

George Pashardis, vice president of sales at ePlus, said he has not personally reviewed the new product yet, but said the Samsung Google Chrome Notebooks are a popular item at ePlus, especially in the school setting. "Samsung had to release something to be more competitive and in line with what Apple is doing and some of the announcements Lenovo has recently made," he said.

Nitrio said tablets are very useful and relevant in many corporate settings. "It's very difficult to run, for example, an accounting application on a smartphone screen. Productivity in the field is something that can be enhanced via tablets. You don't have to have a full-blown computer to do be productive," he said.

Doron Kempel says selling hyper-convergence can be challenging for solution providers, but success will come from taking business from competitors that are unprepared or hesitant to embrace the technology.